The Lives and Deaths of the Princesses of Hesse: The curious destinies of Queen Victoria's granddaughters

Queen Victoria had forty-two grandchildren, but she held the four Princesses of Hesse in particular favor. After the death of their mother, Princess Alice, Queen Victoria became deeply invested in arranging advantageous marriages for the four girls. Each sister married into a European dynasty—the Romanovs and the Hohenzollerns of Germany. However, the upheavals of the twentieth century brought tragedy and heartache to each of them. Drawing on hundreds of previously unpublished letters from the sisters and Queen Victoria, this biography traces their lives across a transformative historical period. It follows them from the Russian Court through the Russian Revolution and both World Wars, during which the sisters often found themselves on opposing sides. Frances Welch's group biography combines intimate family correspondence with a broader historical narrative, illuminating the lives of four remarkable women and the era in which they lived.